Maria Sharapova reveals her love for architecture and a certain Frank

Frank Gehry and Maria Sharapova

Russian star Maria Sharapova has revealed that her interest in architecture began during her travels around the globe as a tennis player.

Sharapova told Sports Business Radio's podcast that her favourite architect is Canadian-born American designer Frank Gehry. "One of the things I enjoyed during traveling was architecture. It started with my love for Frank [Gehry], who is an incredible, incredible architect to this day and is designing some of the most forward-thinking and interesting buildings and homes," Sharapova explained.

The former World No.1 said she was so crazy about his work that as a young girl her mission was to find spaces designed by him. "My goal as a young girl was to find a Frank Gehry-designed building. Because they were so distinct and obvious in look and feel, whenever I would go to Prague or Australia, my mission was to find one and photograph it for my mom," said Sharapova.